JP3165666B2 - Torque converter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention belongs to the technical field of a torque converter used for a transmission such as an automatic transmission of a vehicle, for converting torque by a working fluid and transmitting power.
In particular, it belongs to the technical field of axial positioning and thrust bearing in this torque converter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a motor vehicle, a torque converter has conventionally been provided between an engine and an automatic transmission for converting the power of the engine by a fluid to an input shaft of the automatic transmission by converting its torque. .

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional general torque converter disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 62-8454. As shown in FIG. 6, the torque converter 1 is housed in a case 2 of the automatic transmission. The torque converter 1 includes a front cover 4 connected to an output shaft of an engine (not shown) via a connecting member 3 and a rear cover 5 connected to the front cover 4, and a converter cover 6 filled with hydraulic oil.
It has.

[0004] In the converter cover 6, a pump impeller 7 constituted by the rear cover 5 is provided, and a turbine impeller 8 is provided so as to face the pump impeller 7. I have. The turbine impeller 8 is connected by rivets 11 to a turbine hub 10 spline-fitted to the input shaft 9 of the automatic transmission inserted into the converter cover 6 from the rear cover 5 side. A stator impeller 12 is provided between the pump impeller 7 and the turbine impeller 8, and the stator impeller 12 is attached to a stator shaft 13 fixed to the case 2 of the automatic transmission. It is rotatably supported in only one direction via a direction clutch 14. The one-way clutch 14 is axially supported on the right side of the pump shaft 16 via a thrust bearing 15 in the drawing, and axially supported on the turbine hub 10 via a thrust bearing 17 on the left side. I have. The turbine hub 10 is also axially supported by the front cover 4 via a thrust bearing 18 disposed on the outer peripheral side of the input shaft 9.

Further, the turbine hub 10 is provided with a lock-up mechanism 21 comprising a lock-up piston 19 and a damper mechanism 20.
1 is that the lock-up piston 19 is operated to frictionally engage the friction material 22 with the front cover 4.
It is in a directly connected state in which torque is directly transmitted mechanically.

[0006] The thus configured torque converter 1
, The front cover 4
When the pump impeller 7 rotates through the shaft, the hydraulic oil flows as shown by the arrow, and further the pump impeller 7 → the turbine impeller 8 →
It circulates and flows in the order of stator impeller 12 → pump impeller 7. As a result, the turbine impeller 8 rotates, and this rotation is transmitted via the turbine hub 10 to the input shaft 9 of the automatic transmission.
For example, the torque is increased and transmitted.

[0007] When a direct connection command for the torque converter 1 is issued, the pressure oil is supplied to the stator shaft 13 and the pump shaft 1.
6 and through a fluid passage 37 provided in the thrust washer 36 or the thrust bearing 15 to be introduced into the torque converter cover 6. On the other hand, the hydraulic oil between the front cover 4 and the lock-up piston 19 and the turbine hub 10 is supplied to the thrust bearing 1
It is discharged through an axial hole 23 formed in the input shaft 8 and the input shaft 9. In this case, a passage 25 is provided in the support plate 24 of the thrust bearing 18 so that the flow of the hydraulic oil is not hindered. As a result, a pressure difference is generated between both surfaces of the lock-up piston 19, and the lock-up piston 19 moves toward the front cover 4, the friction material 22 is pressed against the front cover 4, and the torque converter 1 is brought into a directly connected state. Become.

The operation of the turbine hub 10 from one side to the other side is performed by an oil seal 26 disposed between the inner peripheral surface of the axial hole of the turbine hub 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the input shaft 9. Oil leakage is prevented.

By the way, when such a conventional torque converter 1 is assembled to an automatic transmission, the front end face 9a of the input shaft 9 of the automatic transmission comes into contact with the inside of the central portion of the front cover 4 of the torque converter 1. However, in addition to this contact, the rear cover 5 of the torque converter 1 may contact the case 2 of the automatic transmission. But,
When such contact between the rear cover 5 and the case 2 occurs, the case 2 does not rotate while the rear cover 5 rotates, so that it is difficult to reliably perform the completion inspection of the automatic transmission. Therefore, when performing the completion inspection of the automatic transmission, it is necessary to position the torque converter 1 in the axial direction to prevent such contact between the rear cover 5 and the case 2.

Therefore, conventionally, a positioning jig is separately prepared, and when the completion inspection of the automatic transmission is performed, the torque converter 1 is axially positioned using the positioning jig, and then the completion inspection is performed. Like that. According to this, the torque converter 1 is positioned in the axial direction by the positioning jig.
And the case 2 does not contact.

As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-62460, it is also possible to position the torque converter 1 in the axial direction without using such a special positioning jig. Have been done.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of such a conventional torque converter. The same components as those shown in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted (the same applies to the description of each embodiment of the present invention described later). ).

As shown in FIG. 7, the torque converter 1 has a centerpiece 27 provided on the inner peripheral side of the front cover 4. A contactable projection 27a is formed. The protrusion 27 a is provided intermittently along the circumferential direction of the front end of the input shaft 9. Therefore, the portion of the front cover 4 where the protrusion 27 a is not provided does not contact the front end surface 9 a of the input shaft 9. An oil passage 28 is formed so that hydraulic oil flows in the direction of the axial hole 23 of the input shaft 9.

When the projection 27a abuts on the front end face 9a of the input shaft 9, the torque converter 1 is positioned in the axial direction, so that the contact between the rear cover 5 and the case 2 is prevented.

When an automatic transmission incorporating such a torque converter is mounted on an actual vehicle, the torque converter 1 is positioned by the drive plate, so that the above-described contact between the rear cover 5 and the case 2 occurs. Never.

[0016]

However, in the torque converter shown in FIG.
Since the torque converter 1 cannot be axially positioned at the time of assembly into the automatic transmission, the torque converter 1 is automatically shifted while the torque converter 1 is axially positioned using the dedicated positioning jig as described above. However, if the torque converter 1 is assembled to the automatic transmission using the positioning jig as described above, the assembling operation becomes complicated and time-consuming, and is extremely labor-intensive. It is disadvantageous.

Further, in the torque converter 1 shown in FIG. 7, since a projection only for the completion inspection must be provided inside the central portion of the front cover 4, this causes a cost increase, and unnecessary for the projection. There is a problem in that a large space must be provided, and the space cannot be used effectively.

Further, in any of the torque converters 1 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the thrust bearing 18 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the input shaft 9 of the automatic transmission.
The radial dimension of the turbine hub increases, the load on the thrust bearing increases, and the peripheral speed of the thrust bearing 18 also increases. For this reason,
Thrust bearings need to be bigger,
Inevitably, the axial dimension of the torque converter 1 increases, and the torque converter 1 does not always have sufficient compactness.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to achieve a more compact and lower cost while achieving both the axial positioning of a torque converter and the function of a thrust bearing. An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid transmission device that does not hinder the flow of hydraulic oil.

[0020]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a converter cover is formed by a front cover to which power is input and a rear cover connected to the front cover. In addition, a pump impeller provided on the rear cover and a turbine impeller disposed opposite to the pump impeller are accommodated in the converter cover, and the input shaft of the transmission is further connected to the converter cover. The rear cover side is connected to a turbine hub to which a turbine impeller in the converter cover is attached.The pump impeller is rotated by power, and the rotation of the pump impeller is transmitted to the turbine impeller via a working fluid. The turbine impeller is rotated and the rotation of the turbine impeller is transmitted to the input shaft of the transmission. In the torque converter, a concave portion is formed inside a central portion of the front cover, and an annular bearing is provided in the concave portion. A front end portion of the turbine hub is provided at an outer peripheral side of the annular bearing. And the front end surface of the input shaft can be brought into contact with the inner peripheral side of the annular bearing. Further, a working fluid flow path is formed from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the bearing. It is characterized by being.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that an outer peripheral surface of the bearing is fitted into a concave portion of the converter cover. Further, in the invention according to claim 3, one surface side and the other surface side of the bearing are symmetrical in shape,
It is characterized in that a working fluid flow path from one surface side to the other surface side is formed.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an inner peripheral portion of the bearing is provided with a cylindrical projection projecting in an axial direction, and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical projection is fitted to an inner peripheral surface of the turbine hub. And the rear end surface of the cylindrical projection can be brought into contact with the front end surface of the input shaft. Furthermore,
The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that the bearing is formed of a resin.

[0023]

In the torque converter according to the first aspect of the present invention, the bearing is provided in the recess of the front cover, and the front end of the turbine hub is axially arranged on the outer peripheral side of the bearing. It is supported, and the inner peripheral side portion of the bearing can contact the front end face of the input shaft of the transmission. Therefore, the bearing allows the torque converter to be easily positioned in the axial direction with respect to the input shaft and assembled to the automatic transmission.

By positioning the torque converter in this manner, the converter cover does not come into contact with the case of the transmission, and the completion inspection of the automatic transmission to which the torque converter is assembled is easily and reliably performed. be able to.

Further, the bearing supports the thrust in the axial direction of the turbine hub. In this case, the bearing is located in a radial region between the input shaft and the cylindrical portion of the turbine hub. The peripheral speed of the bearing does not increase so much, and therefore it is not necessary to increase the size of the bearing. Thus, the compactness of the torque converter in the axial direction can be sufficiently exhibited. In addition, since the bearing serves both for positioning the torque converter in the axial direction and for supporting the thrust of the turbine hub, the space can be effectively used.

Further, since the flow path of the working fluid is formed from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side of the bearing, the working oil can flow through this flow path without any hindrance. Become. Therefore, the lock-up engagement can be reliably performed without obstructing the flow of the working fluid during the lock-up engagement. Further, the concave portion of the front cover in which the bearing is provided can be easily formed by, for example, press working, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the outer peripheral surface of the bearing is fitted into the concave portion of the front cover, the centering of the bearing can be easily performed by the concave portion. Therefore, the centering of the bearing can be performed at a lower cost, and the invention of claim 2 is extremely effective for cost reduction.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the one surface side and the other surface side of the bearing are formed in a symmetrical shape, it is not necessary to distinguish between the front and the back of the bearing, so that the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and erroneous assembly is possible. Attachment can be prevented. Further, since the flow path of the working fluid is formed from one surface side of the bearing to the other surface side, the working fluid can flow reliably from the one surface side of the bearing to the other surface without any hindrance.

Further, in the invention of claim 4, the cylindrical projection of the bearing facilitates the axial positioning of the torque converter, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical projection is simply fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the turbine hub. The centering of the bearing can be easily performed only by combining them. Therefore, it is not necessary to press the concave portion of the front cover for fitting the bearing with high precision, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the bearing is formed of resin, weight reduction and cost reduction can be achieved, which is advantageous for reduction in size and weight of the torque converter and cost reduction. Become.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of the torque converter of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion P in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a bearing used in the torque converter of this example. is there.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the torque converter 1 of this embodiment, a recess 29 is formed in which the center of the front cover 4 is recessed from the inside to the outside. An annular and disk-shaped bearing 30 formed from the above is fitted. The inner diameter of the recess 29 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the front end of the cylindrical portion 10 a of the turbine hub 10, and this front end can enter the recess 29. The recess 29 can be easily formed by, for example, press working.

As shown in FIG. 3, a relatively large through-hole 31 penetrating from one side of the bearing 30 to the other side is formed in the center of the bearing 30. From the inner peripheral edge of the through hole 31 to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing 30, three concave grooves 32 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the radial direction and the thickness direction of the bearing. Similarly, on the other side surface of the bearing 30, three concave grooves 33 are formed in the radial direction and the thickness direction of the bearing 30 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction from the inner peripheral edge of the through hole 31 to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing 30. I have. In this case, these concave grooves 32 and 33 are continuously formed from one side to the other side or from the other side to one side by the thickness direction concave groove portion and the through hole 31 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing 30. Is formed. Further, the groove 32 on one side is arranged at the center in the circumferential direction of the groove 33 on the other side, and the annular bearing 30 has the grooves 32, 3 on one surface side and the other surface side.
3 are exactly the same except for the circumferential position, whereby the back surface of the bearing 30 is formed symmetrically.

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, when the torque converter 1 is assembled to the automatic transmission, the annular bearing 30 is fitted in the recess 29 of the front cover 4. In this case, since the back surface of the bearing 30 is formed symmetrically, the bearing 3 can be used without distinguishing the front and back of the bearing 30.
There is no erroneous assembly of zero. The front end face 10 of the cylindrical portion 10a of the turbine hub 10 is provided on the outer peripheral side of the bearing 30.
b is supported in the axial direction, and the front end surface 9a of the input shaft 9 of the automatic transmission can be in contact with the inner peripheral side of the bearing 30.

The depth of the recess 29 and the thickness of the bearing 30 are determined by the rear cover 5 and the case 2 of the automatic transmission when the inner peripheral side of the bearing 30 contacts the front end surface 9a of the input shaft 9. Is set so that it does not abut.

No spline is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion 10c of the cylindrical portion 10a of the turbine hub 10, and the outer peripheral surface of the input shaft 9 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion 10c is formed. Also, no spline is formed and the rear end 10
A seal 34 that prevents leakage of hydraulic oil from one side of the turbine hub 10 to the other side is formed by fitting the inner peripheral surface of the input shaft 9 to the outer peripheral surface of the input shaft 9.

Thus, in the torque converter 1 of this embodiment, the bearing 18 and the oil seal 26 provided on the outer peripheral side of the conventional turbine hub 10 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are omitted.

The other structure of the torque converter 1 of this embodiment is the same as that of the torque converter 1 shown in FIGS.

In the thus configured torque converter 1 of this example, the bearing 30 is assembled in a state fitted into the recess 29 of the front cover 4 and the bearing 30 is mounted.
The front end surface 10b of the cylindrical portion 10a of the turbine hub 10 is supported in the axial direction on the outer peripheral side of the turbine shaft 10, and the inner peripheral side portion of the bearing 30 can contact the front end surface 9a of the input shaft 9. .

Therefore, the torque converter 1 can be easily positioned in the axial direction with respect to the input shaft 9 by the bearing 30, and can be assembled to the automatic transmission. In this case, since the bearing 30 is simply fitted into the recess 29 of the front cover 4, the assembly of the bearing 30 is simple, and the radial positioning (that is, centering) of the bearing 30 is also performed by the recess 29. It will be easy to do. Thereby, the assembly work of the torque converter 1 is not troublesome, and the man-hour is reduced.

In addition, the inner peripheral side of the bearing 30 is
The rear cover 5 does not contact the case 2 of the automatic transmission. Therefore, the completion inspection of the automatic transmission to which the torque converter 1 is assembled can be easily and reliably performed.

The bearing 30 supports the axial thrust force of the turbine hub 10. In this case, the bearing 30 includes the input shaft 9 and the cylindrical portion 1 of the turbine hub 10.
0a because it is located almost in the radial area.
The diameter of the bearing 30 can be reduced, the load applied to the bearing 30 does not increase so much, and the peripheral speed is also small.
Therefore, there is no need to increase the size of the bearing 30. Thus, the compactness of the torque converter 1 in the axial direction can be sufficiently exhibited. Moreover, the bearing 3
0 is used for both the axial positioning of the torque converter 1 and the support of the thrust force from the turbine hub 10, so that a space for the positioning dedicated projection 27a as shown in FIG. Therefore, the space can be used effectively.

Further, when the bearing 30 is fitted into the recess 29 of the front cover 4 and the distal end face 10b of the cylindrical portion 10a of the turbine hub 10 is supported by the outer peripheral side of the bearing 30, the bearing 30 is formed. Grooves 32, 33
As a result, the front cover 4 and the lock-up piston 19
A flow path through which hydraulic oil in the space between the hydraulic fluid and the turbine hub 10 can flow is formed. As shown by arrows in FIG. 23 can be flowed without any hindrance. In this case, since the flow path is formed so as to communicate from one surface side of the bearing 30 to the other surface side, the hydraulic oil can flow even more reliably. At the time of lock-up release, the hydraulic oil also flows from the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 2, and at this time, the hydraulic oil can flow without any hindrance.

Further, the bearing 30 has a simple annular and disk-like shape, and can be easily formed from a flat plate, and the concave grooves 32 and 33 can be easily formed, so that it can be manufactured at a low cost. In addition, the recess 29 of the front cover 4 into which the bearing 30 is fitted can be easily formed by, for example, press working, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, by forming the bearing 30 from resin, the bearing 30 can be reduced in weight and cost, which is advantageous for reducing the weight and cost of the torque converter 1.

Other functions and effects of the torque converter 1 of this embodiment are the same as those of the torque converter 1 shown in FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the bearing 30 of the example shown in FIG. .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bearing 30 of this embodiment has a turbine hub 1 at the inner peripheral end of the through hole 31.
A cylindrical projection 35 fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the spline portion of the 0 cylindrical portion 10a is formed to slightly project in the axial direction. The rear end face 35 a of the cylindrical projection 35 can be brought into contact with the front end face 9 a of the input shaft 9. The other configuration of the torque converter 1 of this example is the same as that of the torque converter 1 of the example shown in FIGS.

In the thus configured torque converter 1 of the present embodiment, the rear end surface of the cylindrical projection 35 of the bearing 30 abuts on the front end surface 9a of the input shaft 9, thereby positioning the torque converter 1 in the axial direction. It will be easier. Further, since the cylindrical projection 35 of the bearing 30 is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the turbine hub 10, the bearing 30 is positioned (centered) in the radial direction. Since the outer periphery does not need to be fitted and supported, it is not necessary to form the outer periphery with high precision. Therefore, high-precision pressing for forming the concave portion 29 is not required, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The bearing 30 of this example has a cylindrical projection 35 formed on one surface side, so that the front and back are different.
The cylindrical projection 35 not only allows the front and back of the bearing 30 to be easily and clearly distinguished, but also requires the cylindrical projection 35 to be fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the turbine hub 10.
Misassembly of 0 can be reliably prevented.

Other functions and effects of the torque converter 1 of this embodiment are the same as those of the torque converter 1 shown in FIGS. It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the torque converter, but can be applied to other fluid couplings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an embodiment of a torque converter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view of a portion P in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a bearing used in the torque converter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing another embodiment of the torque converter according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a bearing used in the torque converter shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an example of a conventional torque converter,
It is sectional drawing similar to.

FIG. 7 shows another example of a conventional torque converter.
It is sectional drawing similar to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Torque converter, 2: Automatic transmission case, 4:
Front cover, 5: Rear cover, 6: Converter cover, 7: Pump impeller, 8: Turbine impeller, 9: Input shaft, 9a: Front end face of input shaft 9, 10: Turbine hub, 1
0a: cylindrical portion, 10b: front end face of cylindrical portion 10a, 10c
... Rear end of the cylindrical portion 10a, 12: Stator impeller, 13
... stator shaft, 14 ... one-way clutch, 15 ... thrust bearing, 16 ... pump shaft, 17 ... thrust bearing, 18 ... thrust bearing, 19 ... lock-up piston, 20 ... damper mechanism, 21 ... lock-up mechanism, 22 ... friction Material, 23: axial hole, 29: concave portion, 30: bearing, 31: through hole, 32, 33: concave groove, 3
4 seal, 35 cylindrical protrusion, 36 thrust washer, 37 oil passage

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Koji Maeda 10 Takane, Fujii-cho, Anjo, Aichi Prefecture Inside Aisin AW Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yutaka Teraoka 10 Takane, Fujii-cho, Anjo-shi, Aichi Aisin・ AW Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yuji Kanyama 38 Ikenoue-cho, Takefu City, Fukui Prefecture Aisin AW Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Tokuyuki Takahashi 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor (72) Inventor Masafumi Kinoshita 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A 6-58233 (JP, U) JP-A 63-154857 (JP, U) Jiko 5-31312 (JP, Y2) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F16H 41/24

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A converter cover is formed from a front cover to which power is input and a rear cover connected to the front cover, and a pump impeller provided on the rear cover in the converter cover; A turbine impeller disposed opposite to the impeller is housed, and an input shaft of the transmission is connected from a rear cover side of the converter cover to a turbine hub to which the turbine impeller is mounted in the converter cover. As the pump impeller is rotated by power,
In a torque converter in which the rotation of the pump impeller is transmitted to the turbine impeller via a working fluid to rotate the turbine impeller, and the rotation of the turbine impeller is transmitted to the input shaft of the transmission. A concave portion is formed inside the central portion of the front cover, and an annular bearing is provided in the concave portion.A front end portion of the turbine hub is axially supported by an outer peripheral side portion of the annular bearing. In addition, the front end surface of the input shaft can be brought into contact with the inner peripheral side of the annular bearing, and a flow path of the working fluid is formed from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the bearing. Characteristic torque converter. 2. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral surface of the bearing is fitted into a recess of the converter cover. 3. The bearing according to claim 1, wherein one side and the other side of the bearing have a symmetrical shape, and a flow path of a working fluid from one side to the other side is formed. Item 3. The torque converter according to item 1 or 2. 4. An inner peripheral portion of the bearing is provided with a cylindrical projection protruding in the axial direction. An outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical projection is fitted to an inner peripheral surface of the turbine hub, and the cylindrical projection is formed in a cylindrical shape. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein a rear end surface of the protrusion can be brought into contact with a front end surface of the input shaft. 5. The torque converter according to claim 1, wherein the bearing is formed of a resin.